The Milky Way Drive-in in Franklin sets 2023 opening date, first part of movie lineup
Another hopeful sign that we're getting closer to summer: The Milky Way Drive-In is opening for the season.
First launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Milky Way — which camps out in the parking lot next to Franklin Field in Ballpark Commons, 7035 S. Ballpark Drive in Franklin — starts its 2023 season May 11 with a two-for-one Marvel double feature: "Thor: Love and Thunder" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
The Milky Way is open when Franklin Field's main tenant, the minor-league Milwaukee Milkmen baseball team, is off or on the road. Generally, the drive-in shows second-run and older movies from May through October. With a 40-foot LED screen, the theater is able to show movies before dusk.
When it debuted in 2020, the Milky Way was the first new drive-in theater in the Milwaukee area in nearly 20 years.
Admission at the Milky Way is $35 per carload per movie, except for double features (typically on Thursdays).
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Other movies on the Milky Way's schedule in May:
May 12: 6:30 p.m., "Back to the Future"; 9:15 p.m., "Black Panther"
May 13: 5 p.m., "Minions: The Rise of Gru"; 7:30 p.m., "Top Gun: Maverick"; 10:30 p.m., "M3gan"
May 14: 5 p.m., double feature of "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" and "The Goonies"
Other southeast Wisconsin drive-ins are opening, too
The Milky Way isn't the only drive-in opening up in southeast Wisconsin.
The Highway 18 Outdoor Theatre, at W6423 Highway 18 in Jefferson, reopens for the season May 12.
And Milwaukee Recreation, a department of Milwaukee Public Schools, is having its Family Drive-In Movie Day on May 13. There'll be separate-ticket showings of "Moana" (3:30 p.m.) and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (5:30 p.m.) at the MPS Central Services building at 5225 W. Vliet St. Tickets are $20 per vehicle per movie; see milwaukeerecreation.net for more info and registration.
A few of Wisconsin's other drive-ins are opening even earlier this year. The Stardust Twin Drive-In Theater in Chetek, Big Sky Drive-In Theater in Wisconsin Dells and the Chilton Twilight Drive-In Theater are scheduled to start their 2023 seasons May 5; the latter said on its Facebook page this week that it had planned to reopen April 28, but the weather didn't oblige.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milky Way Drive-in in Franklin sets 2023 opening date, first movies
